When buyers come to look at a home, the first thing they see is the landscaping. A well manicured lawn and well chosen shrubbery can boost curb appeal and entice buyers to step into the home. As a result, homeowners who take the time to landscape and maintain their lawn may have greater success when it’s time to sell their house.
Freshen Flowers in Pots
Outdoor potted plants have a way of drying up, especially in the hot, dry times of the year. Replacing old, dry or overgrown potted plants with fresh, full, bushy plants is just one of the ways that homeowners can wow buyers. Filling outdoor planters to capacity with healthy flowers is a good way to make a home look cheerful and full of life.
Position Planters Strategically
Planters draw the eye and create natural focal points around the yard. To take advantage of this, position planters around the front stoop and near the front door. This calls attention to the entrance of the home and entices buyers to come inside. Positioning cheerful, healthy plants around the front door can also send subtle messages about the healthy environment inside the house.
Install Eye-Catching Color
Buyers love to see colorful landscaping around the house. Homeowners thinking about putting their home on the market soon can enhance curb appeal by planting colorful, in-season flowers just before taking pictures for the listing. Some homeowners like to stick with a color scheme when planting flowers, others like to choose flowers in all different hues. Either is fine, but the best strategy is to choose flowers that have noticeable blossoms and vibrant petals. Placing the flowers around the yard on all sides will keep visitors “oohing” and “ahhing” on the walk up to the front door.
Reseed Bare or Dry Patches in the Grass
Nothing blemishes a front lawn quite like dead grass or bare patches of dirt. Whether these patches occurred because of pets, poor water, bad drainage or for other reasons, it’s important to plant and grow new grass in the dead areas before putting the house on the market. Since it can take over a month to fully grow new grass, do this well in advance of listing your home for sale. Water the lawn regularly while the new grass is growing to ensure that the new blades are healthy.
Shape the Shrubs
Shrubs that grow too large can become scraggly and unhealthy looking. The best way to control overgrown shrubs is to trim them down to an attractive, compact shape. Once pruned, shrubs will produce leafy, healthy growth. For shrubs positioned in front of windows, cut them down far enough to prevent them from growing up over the glass. This helps ensure that the space inside the home will get enough natural light.
Weed Thoroughly
Weeds, especially weeds in the garden bed, can mar a beautiful lawn. To achieve a look of tidiness, pull out all weeds from the lawn, including weeds in flower beds and weeds in the grass. Pull the weeds up by their roots to prevent them from returning. Once the weeds have been pulled from the beds, lay down a layer of mulch to shade the soil and prevent the weeds from returning.
